NOTICE OF PRIVACY PRACTICES

THIS NOTICE DESCRIBES HOW MEDICAL INFORMATION ABOUT YOU MAY BE USED AND DISCLOSED AND HOW YOU CAN GET ACCESS TO THIS INFORMATION. PLEASE REVIEW IT CAREFULLY.

PRIVACY OBLIGATIONS: Under applicable law, we are required to protect the privacy of your individual health information (information we refer to in this notice as “Protected Health Information”). We are also required to provide you with this Notice regarding our policies and procedures regarding your Protected Health Information and to abide by the terms of this notice, as it may be updated from time to time.

PERMISSIBLE USES AND DISCLOSURES without your written authorization

A.   Uses and Disclosures for Treatment, Payment and Health Care Operations: We are permitted to use and/or disclose PHI in order to treat you, bill you for services provided to you and conduct health care operations.For treatment purposes, we may obtain information to dispense prescriptions and for the documentation of pertinent information in your records that may assist us in managing your medication therapy or your overall health. For treatment purposes, such use and disclosure will take place in providing, coordinating, or managing healthcare and its related services by one or more of your providers, such as when your pharmacist consults with your physician or a specialist regarding your medications, treatment or condition. We may use and disclose your Protected Health Information, without your authorization when the pharmacy needs to contact a physician or physician’s staff and is permitted or required to do so without individual written authorization. We may use and disclose your Protected Health Information if we are contacted by another pharmacy who states they have your request and consent to transfer pharmacy records to themFor payment purposes, such use and disclosure will take place to obtain or provide reimbursement for providing pharmaceutical care or DME services, such as when your case is reviewed to ensure that appropriate care was rendered. For reimbursement purposes, your Protected Health Information may be disclosed to one or several intermediaries employed by your plan sponsor including but not limited to insurers, pharmacy benefits managers, claims administrators and computer switching companies- defined as Business Associates.For healthcare operations purposes, such use and disclosure will take place in a number of ways, including for quality assessment and improvement such as Joint Commission Certification; provider review and training; underwriting activities; reviews and compliance activities; and planning, development, management and administration. Your information could be used, for example, to assist in the evaluation of the quality of care that you were provided.

B.   Disclosure to Relatives and Close Friends: We may disclose to one of your family members, to a relative, to a close personal friend, or to any other person such as home attendant identified by you, Protected Health Information that is directly relevant to the person’s involvement with your care or payment related to your care. In addition, we may use or disclose the Protected Health Information to notify, identify, or locate a member of your family, your personal representative, another person responsible for care, or certain disaster relief agencies of your location, general condition, or death. If you are incapacitated, there is an emergency, or you object to this use or disclosure, we will do in our judgment what is in your best interest regarding such disclosure and will disclose only the information that is directly relevant to the person’s involvement with your healthcare. We will also use our judgment and experience regarding your best interest in allowing people to pick-up filled prescriptions, or other similar forms of Protected Health Information.

C.   Public Health Activities & Fundraising Activities: We may contact you to provide refill reminders, health screenings, wellness events, inoculations, vaccinations or information about treatment alternatives or other health-related benefits and services that may be of interest to you. In addition, we may disclose your health information to your plan sponsor. In addition, we may contact you for the purpose of fund raising activities.

D.   All legal activities: We may disclose Protected Health Information about you without your authorization to comply with workers compensation laws, as required by law enforcement, legal proceedings, public health requirements, health oversight activities and as required bylaw.

E.   Storage or handling of PHI information / data: We store some of your Protected Health Information in electronic computer files. We backup our electronic records periodically store backups off site, and have a disaster recovery plan and contingency plan to safeguard the confidentiality, integrity and availability of all Electronic PHI. In spite of these precautions it is possible but unlikely that a computer crash or other technological failure could cause the loss of data. We may employ the services of business associates who may assist us in one or more tasks and who may use, change or create Protected Health Information. Business associates are required to comply with all the privacy regulations on your behalf. Should there be a breach of our system resulting in an impermissible use or disclosure of your PHI, you will be notified in a timely manner according to the method described in our Breach Notification Procedure.